‘The Iron Claw’ Reviews Are Firmly Positive; Gut-Wrenching Drama

It’s a real shame that Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” will get lost in the shuffle of late-December releases. It’s a really good film and deserves accolades for its ensembles cast, Durkin’s meticulously precise direction and the fascinating story being told.

A24 should have attempted to premiere this one at a fall festival like Telluride or Venice. Instead, they opted to skip festivals and basically dump it in the final weeks of the year. Why?

The review embargo has lifted on “The Iron Claw” and the reviews are good — 92% fresh on RT and 73 on Metacritic.

The drama tells of the rise and fall of the Von Eric family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport in the US from the 1960s to present day. Many believed that the Von Erich’s were the unfortunate recipients of a curse known as the “Von Eric Curse.” If you’re not familiar with the story, don’t look it up online — just watch the film. This family has had a lot of misfortunes and tragedies come their way in the last six or so decades.

Zac Efron is fantastic, in a career-best performance, as Kevin Von Eric — a young man driven by ambition in the family business. Harris Dickinson is the brother who overshadows him and becomes pop’s favorite, that is until sibling Kerry comes in and steals his thunder. Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) is the controlling father who owns the wrestling business and messes with their heads.

Sometimes a film just feels so lived-in, with just plain DREAD suffocating every frame. This is it. It helps that I had no idea about the true story the film is based on. It’s hellish stuff. Durkin seems to really love his feel-bad stories. And yet, there’s an emotional core to this film; it’s as much about death as it is about family and love.

Durkin is coming off two above-average films, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “The Nest,” and he’s now 3 for 3. Forget about any awards for this one, it’s just not that type of film, unless the AMPAS is willing to sit down and watch 126 minutes of doom and gloom. It’s a very depressing film. [B+]